The present invention relates generally to a friction brake for applying a braking force to a translatable and/or rotatable shaft, and more particularly, to an adjustable brake assembly including a housing having a through-bore for receiving a shaft, a plurality of resilient fingers radially arranged around the shaft, and an adjuster that turns relative to the housing to adjust the force of the fingers on the shaft.
In certain applications it may be necessary to adjust the position of a translatable and/or rotatable shaft. On an airliner, for example, adjustable shafts may be associated with passenger seats, tray table, partitions, etc. Conventional mechanisms for adjusting shaft position and length typically include locks configured only discrete lock and unlock positions, and not with the ability to adjust the amount or force required to translate and/or rotate the shaft. As such, what is needed is a brake assembly that allows the ability to adjust the amount of force required to translate and/or rotate a shaft.